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Hepatitis C blood born virus is a major cause of liver disease that more than three per cent of people in the world is dealing with, and the spread of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in different populations is one of the most important issues in epidemiology. In the present study, a new intelligent controller is developed and tested to control the hepatitis C infection in the population which the authors refer to as an optimal adaptive neuro-fuzzy controller. To design the controller, some data is required for training the employed adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) which is selected by the genetic algorithm....

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To quantify the rising prevalence of maternal hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Ohio during the peak of the opioid epidemic and to identify maternal characteristics and obstetric outcomes associated with maternal HCV infection.
METHODS: We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study of all live births in Ohio (2006-2015). Frequency of maternal HCV infection as reported on birth certificates was compared across each year of the study period. Maternal, obstetric, and neonatal characteristics were compared between women with HCV infection in pregnancy with those without HCV inf...

Background: Despite high burden of hepatitis C (HCV) infection among people who inject drugs (PWID), treatment uptake of Interferon-based therapies in this population has been extremely low. For example, in Vancouver, Canada, rates 1.1% per person-year have been documented. Increasing availability of highly efficacious and safer direct-acting antiviral (DAA)-based therapies offers the possibility of rapid treatment expansion with the goal of controlling the HCV epidemic. We sought to evaluate uptake of DAA-based treatments among HCV-positive PWID after introduction of these regimens in the provincial drug formulary.

(CNN) — Death rates from liver cancer increased 43% for American adults from 2000 to 2016, according to a report released Tuesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. The increase comes even as mortality for all cancers combined has declined.
Liver cancer death rates increased for both men and women 25 and older, as well as white, black and Hispanic people. Only Asians and Pacific Islanders saw a decrease in mortality from liver cancer.
The rise in mortality doesn’t mean that liver cancer is deadlier than before, according to Dr. Jiaquan Xu, the aut...

Sadly, stigma around health conditions remains a part of many patients ’ lives. Many will not disclose a diagnosis for fear of being judged by peers, employers, health professionals, colleagues and wider society. In fact, there is clear evidence that such negative societal attitudes impact health outcomes, resulting in diagnosis delays and impaired treatment.Some diseases are heavily stigmatized – including mental health, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and some skin conditions – leading people to restrict their participation in society, impairing their chances of living happy, healthy lives.However, to one extent or...

There is a new epidemic of hepatitis C, HIV, and other infections within the opioid abuse epidemic, according to participants in a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine workshop.Reuters Health Information

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - There is a new epidemic of hepatitis C, HIV, and other infections within the opioid abuse epidemic, according to participants in a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine workshop.

(American College of Physicians) Experts are drawing on lessons learned from the early days of the HIV epidemic to address the current opioid epidemic. As a result of widespread opioid abuse, new epidemics of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV infection have arisen and hospitalizations for related infections have increased. An expert panel convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) recommends five crucial steps for clinicians treating patients affected by opioid addiction and these intersecting infections.